How new morphology can arise: North Germanic examples of roads less traveled by

New morphological patterns can emerge without intervening interface phenomena like grammaticalization from syntax or morphologization of phonological alternations. The rise of morphological patterns through processes of a purely or partly morphological nature constitutes evidence for the autonomy of morphology. The paper examines five North Germanic cases of change into morphology. They are not all purely morphological, but they all contain an irreducibly morphological component. The evidence indicates that morphology is not always only diachronically reactive; it can also be diachronically active. It is argued that morphomes play a role in diachrony. The paper also presents arguments against an alternative approach, where one tries to reduce morphological patterns to phonology or semantics.